All the News, Reviews, Guides and Reports on Electric Cars

Ford Motor Company is planning to reintroduce a plug-in hybrid version of the Escape crossover SUV in 2019, according to a report in Automotive News. That new plug-in hybrid will fill in a gap for electric car shoppers: an affordable crossover with a robust plug-in hybrid powertrain. The new plug-in Ford Escape will be accompanied by a plug-in-hybrid Lincoln MKC.

Ford last week confirmed that it stopped production of its C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid—and will soon cease production of the conventional hybrid version of the hatchback. “Ford C-Max Energi production has ended,” Dan Jones, Ford's North America Car Communications Manager, told Green Car Reports. While the plug-in hybrid variant of the C-Max is on track to have its best year of sales yet, sales of the no-plug C-Max hybrid have dropped by 18 percent compared to last year.

The House GOP tax reform bill released last week proposes to wipe out the federal tax credit for electric-vehicle purchases. The credit is worth up to $7,500 for consumers who buy cars that run on battery power and produce little to no tailpipe emissions. If the bill passes, the credit will apply to electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles purchased through the end of 2017—but not beyond that time.

Tesla said on Wednesday that production of its Model 3 small electric car would be delayed by about three months. The company said its goal of producing 5,000 Model 3s a week would likely occur at the end of March, rather than the end of November.

It’s been one year since Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported that Toyota intends to mass-produce an electric car with a driving range of approximately 185 miles. According to multiple reports, Toyota continues to pursue this goal—and to develop an EV with even longer range and able to recharge much faster than today’s electric models. The company has not yet revealed any specific product plans for an electric car in the United States.

It’s been nearly five years since Mitsubishi announced that its Outlander Plug-in Hybrid will soon go on sale. But now, after repeated delays and recalls, the company says it will finally introduce the plug-in SUV later this year. The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid is expected to arrive in dealerships in December 2017. The base price for the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid will be $34,595—establishing the vehicle as by far the most affordable plug-in SUV on the market.

News sources reported today that Tesla fired hundreds of workers on Friday. The dismissals come as the company is falling behind on production targets for the Tesla Model 3, its all-important mass-market affordable long-range small electric car. Tesla encountered missed deadlines and production delays for its previous models, only to turn things around and produce award-winning vehicles credited for pushing the entire auto industry toward electric vehicles.

American roadways are filling up with crossover SUVs—the ultra-popular vehicle segment that combines the compelling features of a car, SUV, and wagon. The dramatic rise of the crossover begs this question: When will EV buyers be able to buy one powered by electrons? Perhaps that day is coming faster, based on the recent first sales of the Model 3, the stylish, affordable long-range car from Tesla.

Dyson, the British maker of innovative household appliances, last week announced ambitious plans to build an electric car by 2020. Now, in an interview with Wired, the company’s chief executive Max Conze said the company will build the vehicle from the ground up—without help from an established carmaker. Moreover, Conze said the company will greatly expand an EV’s driving range, perhaps doubling the number of miles an electric car can travel on a single charge.

Of all the electric cars available today, the Hyundai Ioniq Electric arguably provides the most compelling combination of decent range, at 124 miles on a single charge, and an attractive $29,500 pre-incentive price. But by offering the Ioniq Electric only in California, and keeping marketing efforts on simmer, the potential success for Hyundai’s EV is limited. Yet, even with anemic current sales of the Ioniq EV, Hyundai reiterated is plans for an exciting line-up of plug-in cars in the near future.